Cities face deadlines for ‘opting out’ of cannabis shops

OTTAWA — With just weeks before legalization of cannabis for recreational use takes effect across Canada, municipalities are raising concerns over how pot sales will be regulated and who will foot the bill for added policing and other costs.

In Ontario, cities likely won’t know until after this fall’s municipal elections how much time they have to decide whether to allow brick-and-mortar cannabis shops in their communities, a provincial official told municipal leaders Wednesday.

The province’s Conservative government announced last week that municipalities would be given a one-time opportunity to “opt out” of hosting retail pot outlets.

But a final opt-out date has not been set, said Nicole Stewart, who heads the provincial finance ministry’s cannabis retail implementation project.

That means newly elected municipal politicians could have a very short window of time to decide whether they want to allow pot shops in their communities.

But even before then, candidates stumping for votes will have to decide whether they support the opening of local cannabis stores.

“This has now made it an election issue,” said Joy Hulton, solicitor for the Regional Municipality of York.

Municipal elections are Oct. 22 in Ontario — five days after the government’s cannabis legalization measures begin.